This invention relates generally to fitments and other means for accessing containers. Specifically, the present invention relates to fitments for attachment to flexible containers and the like that house fluids to be accessed through the fitment.
In many arts, e.g., medical industry, wine industry, dairy industry, products are housed in flexible containers. For example, in the medical field, these flexible containers may contain parenteral solution, nutritional solution, peritoneal dialysis solution, or the like. An example of such a container is the VIAFLEX.RTM. collapsible plastic container for parenteral solutions sold by Travenol Laboratories, Inc. of Deerfield, Ill. The products housed within these flexible containers are accessed by an accessing member that is designed to pierce a fitment and thereby access the container. The fitment functions as an injection site or means for accessing the solution in the flexible container. To this end, the fitment includes a member that can receive a needle or other piercing means. As used herein, the term fitment includes, without limitation, ports, valves, and other means for accessing a container.
Especially in the medical field, where these fluids may be intended for intrabody administration, the fluids must be sterile at the time of use to avoid the danger of introducing harmful agents into the body. Accordingly, the container must be able to house the solution so that the solution is maintained and extracted under sterile conditions. This requires not only that the container and its contents be in a sterile sealed condition at the time of receipt by the user, but also that no contamination of the contents occur when the container is opened by a user. The problem of maintaining sterility is particularly acute at the fitment of the container where the fluid is accessed. Accordingly, the attachment of the fitment to the container may be critical.
It may also be necessary, especially in nutritional uses, that the container, and accordingly the fitment, must be punctured a plurality of times. This necessitates that the fitment has some resealability capabilities. This becomes especially acute when the gauge of the accessing needle is large and accordingly the resealability characteristics of the fitment are severely tested.
Typically, in the medical industry, resealable fitments comprise an elongated body with a port member. The port member usually encapsulates a rubber or silicone plug. The needle pierces the port through the rubber or silicone plug which because of its memory reseals the port. However, when the gauge of the needle becomes great or repeated injections are made these fitments may fail and leak.
Because these fitments are constructed from at least two separate parts the cost of these fitments and the containers produced therefrom is not optimum. Moreover, due to their construction, these prior fitments are not conducive to high speed attachment to flexible containers. Typically, these prior fitments are sealed to the container by being inserted between the webs of film that form the container, or by being inserted through a hole punched in the film. The fitment is then heat-sealed to the wall of the container. As can be seen, usually the web of film is pierced thereby violating the environment of the container.
Accordingly, there is a need for an improved fitment that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.